Long, long ago in a land far, far away there lived a prince who was very vain. So vain that he could not pass a mirror or other shiney surface without looking at himself. It would take him hours just to get from his bedroom to the palace throne room, and by then it would be time to start back to his bedroom if he was to get a chance to sleep before morning.
One day the prince decided he must do something, as he was getting nothing done. He ordered that all mirrors be removed, curtains drawn shut when he was in a room so that he could not see himself in the windowglass, that no shiney surface was to be dusted ever again, and that all those who wore spectacles should remove them in the prince's presence.
But trouble followed. The spectacle wearers would have had enough problems without their specs on, but in rooms darkened by drawn curtains in the days before electric light, they stumbled and bumped into things and each other, and said very naughty things about the prince;- but only when the prince was too far away to hear. Because no dusting was being done everytime something was moved clouds of dust flew up into the air and everyone sneezed a lot, as if they all had dreadful colds.
The prince decided that maybe he should try holding court outside in the palace gardens. First the gardeners had to take the fish from the ponds and then empty out the water, so that there would be no reflections. Then the gardeners had to drape black material over the summer house, and the greenhouses, in case the prince walked that way through the vegetable gardens. If it had been raining the palace staff had to shake any droplets of water off of the trees and shrubs, and mop up any puddles.
Still the prince's orders came. No-one could wear shiney buttons, and so the palace guard had to smear mud on their tunic buttons, and then on their boots as these gleamed too. Ladies and gentlemen could not wear jewelary or watches. The list went on and on.
Everyone was getting very fed up with the prince.
And then one day a learned proffesor came to the palace. He had the perfect solution to the prince's vanity. A small piece of glass in a jewel encrusted frame, that the prince could carry with him wherever he went. Now the vain prince did not need to stand and look at his reflection, but could continue to walk about, whilst gazing upon himself. Thus was invented the pocket handmirror.
